Archives for euro

Standard & Poor’s decision this week to downgrade the country ratings of France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, not only aggravates the sovereign debt crisis, but it actually divides the EU in two. The most affected group is made up of the Latin countries bordering the Mediterranean. Their interest bills are going to rise to levels… » read more

Before the G20 meeting in Cannes, the unthinkable happened. To the utter surprise of EU and G20 leaders alike, Greek prime minister George Papandreou dropped the bombshell announcement about the referendum on the bailout package. Stock prices plummeted, the G20 agenda was undermined, and the leaders who had been working to save Greece from default… » read more

The decisions agreed upon by EU leaders during the 26th of October summit – the leveraging of EFSP, the “voluntary” 50 percent reduction of Greece’s debt, improved coordination of fiscal policies within the eurozone countries, the appointment of a super-commissioner with fiscal oversight responsibilities – have all been judged as steps in the right direction… » read more

According to the laws of aerodynamics, the honey bee is too heavy and its wing shape cannot support it in the air. This, nevertheless, does not prevent it from flying and tirelessly collecting pollen every day, which is the essential raw ingredient in the production of honey. The sovereign debt crisis has provided fodder to… » read more

Over the next few days, EU political leaders have to decide what to do about the Greek debt crisis. Leading economists and quite a number of EU politicians are deeply divided when it comes to putting together another large financial rescue package. Economists like Professor Hans-Werner Sinn and Professor Kenneth Rogoff argue for a shrinking… » read more

Major trouble, we learn from the Chinese, can be likened to a tunnel we have to go through until we reach the other side. It is hard to say whether the sovereign debt crisis that hit the eurozone two years ago is about to be dealt with more decisively this fall. To be sure, a… » read more

Since last December, the credit rating agencies, economic pundits and the transatlantic financial media have intensified their dire predictions regarding the euro’s chances of survival. This, however, should come as no surprise, as the eurozone governments are expected to sell no less than 850 billion euros in government paper in the first trimester of 2011.… » read more

For a few months now we are bombarded with news about an impending currency war as a result of the Chinese reluctance to allow their currency to appreciate against the dollar. The US, as the promoter of the latest round of China-bashing, has even enlisted the help of some of the EU’s high representatives. Not… » read more

The third quarter Eurostat statistics prove beyond a doubt that the recession is back. Even Germany, which in the second quarter managed 2.3 percent economic growth, is now down to 0.7 percent growth. The average growth in the third quarter for the EU as a whole is a paltry 0.4 percent. Draconian austerity measures hit… » read more

The US Federal Reserve’s second round of quantitative easing has prompted near-universal condemnation by the financial leaders of Germany, China, Brazil, the ASEAN and the EU. From The People’s Daily to Der Spiegel, newspapers are full of criticism and dire predictions of an impending international currency war, which is bound to result from the flooding… » read more

About: Spotlight on Geopolitics

Florian Pantazi is an historian and geopolitical consultant. The focus of his research is the European Union's role as a global actor, its influence in Asia and Latin America, as well as the major geopolitical shifts confronting the international community of states. Apart from his interest in European external affairs, he has -- since 1998 -- researched and authored articles on the emergence of China and its geoeconomic agenda ; Turkey's Islamic model of democracy; the Asian and global financial crises; the most recent political evolutions in the Maghreb.

Florian Pantazi holds a Master in Geopolitics and International Relations from Sciences Po Toulouse and an MA in History from the Al.I.Cuza University, Iasi, Romania. Contact: florian.pantazi @ gmail.com Twitter: @Geopolinsider

At the end of February, Caritas International has released its 2015 Report on poverty within the European Union. According to its authors, six years of enforced budgetary authority have gravely affected 125 million EU citizens who are now forced to live under the poverty thresholds of their respective countries.The worst-hit countries are EU members such […]

One hundred and eighty years ago (1834) , the newly-founded Academy for Moral and Political Sciences in Paris organized a competition for the best research paper on the causes and various manifestations of poverty in Europe. The best research paper on the subject, which won its author a 2,500 francs prize offered by baron Félix […]